Molting and Screeching help?

[Lapis]

Hi guys, it's been a while since i've been on here. I have a few questions though..
A few months ago I took Nyla to the vet for a checkup, and brought up the fact that I had gotten her in July yet her wings haven't grown back yet. The vet suggested to cover her cage earlier each night to help stimulate molting, and that worked for a while but now it stopped. Her wings looks kind of scraggly now and she still can't fly. Any tips on how to help this?

I was also at the store where I originally got her from about a week ago, and they got new IRNs in. One of them really caught my eye, a lime green one, and they let me see if it'd get along with Nyla. They definitely seemed comfortable with each other, but I've never had more than one bird at the same time before. The employee I was speaking with (who has 29 birds right now) told me that since this one was more friendly than Nyla, she'd learn to be more friendly as well. This one also was already (sort of) speaking, despite only being 8 months old. Nyla only mimics sounds right now, but honestly it doesn't matter if she never speaks lol. She's just a wonderful bird and I'm happy to have her.

So my question is, would bringing in another IRN help Nyla at all? Would it reduce her screeching? (I can deal with it for the most part, but sometimes it can be too much. She seems to do it the most often when she can't see me though). Would it help her with the molting problem? What are the pros and cons here?
I would love to get her a friend, but I need to make sure it's the right choice.

 

[EllenD]

Whenever anyone asks a question regarding "getting their current bird a friend because they are lonely, or because they think it might remedy a problem their current bird is having", I always have the same answer: Never get another bird as a friend for your current bird or to remedy problems your current bird is having! Never! Only get another bird if you're getting it for yourself, you want it, and you are going into it figuring that your new bird and your current bird will not get along and will have to be kept separate!

The reason I say this is because the real bottom-line answer to your question, quite simply, is getting a new bird might help your current bird, it might be good company for your current bird, it may bond with your current bird...OR the new bird and your current bird may just totally ignore each other and be indifferent to each other, and the new bird may not improve any issues your current bird is having...OR the new bird and your current bird my quite literally hate each other and try to quite literally kill each other. You may not even be able to keep their cages in the same room, let alone have them out together. Those are your potential outcomes if you get a new bird. Period.

I don't know what you mean by "The store let me see if the new bird gets along with my current bird", but I'm guessing they didn't let you bring the new bird home with you for several weeks to see how it goes, and that's really the only way you'll be able to find out unfortunately. It's a gamble really, which is why I said that YOU need to be getting the new bird for you, never for your current bird. Because if you don't really want it or you are strictly thinking about it as only a help to your current bird, what happens when the two birds attack each other? Do you then rehome the new bird? Will the new bird be ignored for the most part if you have to separate them, because you'll want to be spending most of your time with your current bird? Will you dedicate 50% of your time to the new bird for the next 30 years, just as you have made that commitment to your current bird? Or will you just put the new bird off into a spare room, feed it daily, and otherwise spend all of your time with your current bird, always having the current bird out and never the new bird? These are the questions you need to ask yourself before you even think about bringing a second bird into your home. This unfortunately happens all the time and it is in no way fair to the new bird, who may have the possibility of being purchased by a very loving person or family that will give it all the attention they can, and who will not ignore it based on how it interacts with their current pets. And as I said, unfortunately that's the only way to find out how it will go, you'd have to bring the bird into your home and go along with life as it would be. That's the real test. Bringing your current bird into the bird store and putting the two birds together for a bit tells you nothing. Your home, your current bird's home, his cages, his toys, your daily interaction with both of them, the jealousy issues that may present themselves, the territoriality issues that may present themselves, these are the real test. Not an hour in the bird store together, or even just bringing the new bird home for an hour. Unfortunately most of the time you can't "try out" a new bird for a couple of weeks, lol, so that's why this decision must be 100% dependent on you, your wants, and what your attitude and feelings will be if you can't have the birds together at some point.

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[Lapis]

I wouldn't be thinking about it if I didn't want one lol, I even told myself that I was most likely going to get another IRN when they became available again. So obviously I do want another bird, I was only asking if it would also help out my current one. I'd never add another animal to my home if I wasn't certain I was going to commit to it.

 

[EllenD]

I wouldn't be thinking about it if I didn't want one lol, I even told myself that I was most likely going to get another IRN when they became available again. So obviously I do want another bird, I was only asking if it would also help out my current one. I'd never add another animal to my home if I wasn't certain I was going to commit to it.

I meant no malice in my answer at all, and I answered your question by saying it may help your bird, it may not help your bird, or it may make your current bird's issues worse. That's the answer. There is no way for anyone to say "Yes, I think it's a good idea because it should help your current bird's issues". That's just not possible. It very well might help, don't get me wrong, but there is no way to guarantee anything.

You gave me an "lol" after saying "Obviously I want another bird and was thinking about it, and wouldn't even consider it otherwise", but you said none of that in your original post, you only said that you were thinking about getting another bird to help your first bird. Hence my answer. Believe me when I tell you that at least once a week or so someone posts a similar question to your question on here, and when a response such as mine is given, the person doesn't know it they want another bird, they only want a "friend" for their current bird because they think it is lonely because they aren't home enough for it...This makes absolutely no sense to me, why would you get a second bird if you aren't home enough for the first one? So this is why I answered the way I did, and the way I always do. It's unbelievable how some people think sometimes, and even more unbelievable what people go out and do sometimes, before they have given it any thought at all. They ask questions AFTER they do something. That's not fair when we're talking about a living creature that will be 100% dependent on that person for everything. So I promise you that your "lols" aren't at all indications of my questions being out of line or answering you in the way that I did being hard to believe. It's a valid answer because this is unfortunately how a lot of people think and act.

The way you are apparently thinking is in a responsible way, and I thank you for that, but most people that ask this question are not. That's where I was coming from.

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[Lapis]

I guess I got a little defensive I meant no malice either. I don't really consider the fact that other people get companions for their animals for the sole purpose of letting them be more independent from their owners, since that's not something I would do. I apologize for the way I may have sounded and I appreciate your input ^_^ knowing what I do now, I'll definitely keep both my current cage and the new one I just purchased until I know for sure if they will get along with each other. Both of the ones I have are very big and could house them both very comfortably.

I am still wondering if it'd help with her molting problem though. Her wings have not grown back yet and it's concerning me a little. The lime green one also has its wings clipped (the store always does it regardless) but it seems that Nyla's wings weren't professionally cut, but the lime green one's were

 

[SilverSage]

First of all: everything Ellen said

Second; no, another bird will do absolutely nothing to help with molting. IRNs are annual molters. She will molt in the spring/summer.

Third, I DO NOT recommend getting a second bird until you have experienced PUBERTY with your first bird. So not until your current IRN is about 3 years old. Trust me, puberty can be a major game changer and it is a lot of work.

Fourth; have both birds been DNA tested? Female IRNs are extremely likely to turn on and injure or kill each other. Even if you get opposite gender or two males, IRNS almost always need their own cages.

Really Ellen said most of the things I was going to say, so these little bits are all that I wanted to point out that she didn't cover.


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[Lapis]

Thank you again I meant no harm, I'm here to learn more about birds from people like you 2 who are much more experienced than I am. I should have been more clear in my first post

Nyla has been DNA sexed, she is a female. The lime green one has not been.

I'm glad I came here to ask instead of going back to the shop, the employee there really knew how to pitch a sale. I'm thinking it may not be a great idea to get one so soon now, not until I've had my current one for a while longer. I'm home almost all the time, so it's not like she's lonely.

Thank you again ^_^

 

[SilverSage]

No problem! And please don't think I am saying you shouldn't get another, just that now might not be the ideal time. I mean, I share my life with 18 so I personally know how powerful of an addiction IRNs can be! Here are a couple of my boys! But timing is extremely important when adding a bird, and I would say that going from one bird to two birds is the biggest adjustment and the most important to time correctly.

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